Short-handed Vernon Hills sinks Antioch

Vernon Hills' girls basketball team is already learning how to overcome adversity this season.

Playing its fourth game in a row without 6-foot veteran Kayla Caudle on Tuesday night, the Cougars found themselves in an 11-point hole in the first half against winless Antioch. But they pulled together defensively to pull out a 39-34 win.

Vernon Hills finished 3-2 in its ninth annual Cougar Classic. The Cougars could get Caudle back from injury next week, according to coach Paul Brettner.

Sycamore ended up winning the tournament with a 4-1 record.

"It's not nice to have Kayla go down, but it's nice to see the kids respond," Brettner said. "I'd much rather have her than not have her. Some good things came out of it and some kids had some extra time. It's good for them and good for us down the road."

Vernon Hills trailed Antioch 26-15 at halftime. The Cougars went on a 15-4 run, which included Daniella Jarrell scoring 5 of her 9 points. She hit a jump shot with 16 seconds left.

"We were trying to cut the lead down to single digits by the fourth quarter," Brettner said. "We got it even and had a really good third quarter. Then we picked things up in the fourth quarter. I think our defense picked up (holding Antioch to 8 points in the second half). I was happy with the kids' energy."

With the score tied at 34-34 in the final quarter, the Cougars' Abby Brown (8 points) came off the bench to hit a couple of free throws. She also grabbed a rebound and passed to Emily Singer, who scored the eventual winning basket at the two-minute mark.

"Our team made intelligent plays," Brown said. "It led us to the win. In practice, we go after balls hard and are always trying to anticipate passes."

Nicole Pieper added a layup with 1:20 left, and Mackenzie Mahler made 1 of 2 free throws in the final eight seconds.

Antioch (0-5) had a great start to the game. Piper Foote led Antioch, scoring 8 of 10 points in the first half.

"Our shot selection was probably our best so far," Antioch coach Tim Borries said. "The girls were in the right spot on offense and they were moving the ball. Maybe we got a little tired in the second half."